In total, 58 people were arrested. Troublemakers threw projectiles at the police and targeted them with fireworks, aimed horizontally.
In several parts of the city, fires were started. This was the case in Berchem where mopeds and bus shelters were destroyed.
In total, the Antwerp police arrested 58 people. Forty-seven were arrested administratively and 11 judicially.
Due to the numerous incidents, the Antwerp police were not able to verify whether all restaurants complied with the mandatory closing time of 23:00. “We believe that this rule was well respected, because there were a lot of people in the streets after 11 p.m. These people probably came from establishments which closed their doors at that time,” said Wouter Bruyns, porte -police speech.
In the province of East Flanders, several incidents also punctuated New Year’s Eve. In Ghent, a group of young people launched mortar fire at police vehicles. Reinforcements were called in and calm quickly returned. The emergency services were also called upon to intervene for several fireworks accidents and small fires.